Career fraud artist finds new victims in Saanich, Oak Bay

A Saanich man with a 20-year history of defrauding people faces a swath of new charges for scams this year in Saanich, Oak Bay and Nanaimo.

Justin Neal Jay, 47, is due in Victoria court next week for a bail hearing related seven fraud charges. Saanich police allege Jay, a painter by trade, offered previous clients a chance to double their money by helping him buy wood flooring for a discount price, which would then be sold at a healthy markup.

Police allege that between two victims in Saanich, four in Oak Bay and one in Nanaimo, Jay brought in $26,000. The victims either lost their “investment” or received back a small amount of cash, police say.

Jay has been convicted multiple times of fraud and theft since 1993 on Vancouver Island and the Lower Mainland, and maintains a busy schedule with the courts to this day.

While he is due in Victoria court on Nov. 13, he is also scheduled to appear in court in Surrey on Nov. 12 for a fraud charge and in Port Coquitlam on Nov. 18 for three other fraud charges.

Victoria provincial court issued a warrant for Jay’s arrest earlier this year, but it was a Saanich traffic officer who happened to pull him over on Oct. 29, and found out Jay was a wanted man. Police are looking for more victims to come forward.

“There are likely more victims who are too embarrassed or who haven’t determined what occurred was an offence,” said Sgt. Steve Eassie.

Anyone who thinks they were defrauded by Jay can contact Det.-Const. Janet Milligan of the Saanich police financial crime section at 250-475-4377.